Wood River police officers tour future home

Wood River officers, including Police Chief Brad Wells (second from left), look at an example of the exterior finish for the new Wood River police station at the intersection of South Sixth Street and Illinois 143.

WOOD RIVER | Wood River Police Department officers and personnel got a sneak peek Tuesday at their new home, while paying tribute to officers who lost their lives in the line of duty.

R.W. Boeker Co. Inc. of Hamel is building a 20,000-square-foot facility at South Sixth Street and Illinois 143 that will house telecommunicators, detectives, patrol officers and the police department administration.

“Everything is proceeding as planned, and we hope to be in the building some time by the end of the year or after the first part of next year,” Police Chief Brad Wells said.

One key upgrade will be a sally port entrance, which the current 2,000-square-foot police building lacks. The doors will open when the officer pulls in and close before prisoners are let out of the vehicle.

“It’ll be a lot more secure environment, not only for the officers but for the prisoner,” Wells said.

Another safety enhancement, both for officers and prisoners, will be a state-of-the-art camera system in the jail, he said.

The station also will have a workout area, additional jail cells, a kitchen, improved parking and a training and emergency operations area.

The station has been in the works since 2014 after BP, formerly British Petroleum, donated $7.8 million and about 7 acres of land, the site of the former Amoco refinery. The donation was part of a settlement in which the city agreed not to pursue liability issues against the company,

“Everything will be under one roof; it will be a welcome addition,” Mayor Cheryl Maguire said as she toured the construction site.

The current police station will be used for other city offices.

“We’re grateful to BP for what they’ve done,” Maguire said.

Before the tour, city officials participated in a ceremony at the current station to honor two local law enforcement officers, Police Chief Samuel Thompson and Village Marshal John Phipps, who respectively died in the line of duty in 1912 and 1916, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page website.